1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a combined folding table and seat assembly and particularly to a combined folding table and seat assembly that is collapsible into a self-contained carrying case comprised of the table top. Most particularly, this invention relates to a combined folding table and seat assembly which is collapsible into a case comprised of a folding table top, which assembly, when folded, is readily portable and storable in the trunk of an automobile, a closet or the like.
2. Statement of The Prior Art
As the society has become increasingly mobile through the greatly expanded use of the automobile, more and more families seek to picnic along the side of a road or in a secluded spot. While, often times, prepared picnic facilities are provided, these are generally crowded and are commonly located at sites that are cultivated. Many people prefer to picnic by themselves in more natural surroundings where no dining facilities are available. Also, one often finds no permanent picnic facility at the time he wishes to eat. This generally leads to the use of a picnic blanket or the like which is uncomfortable and often untidy. Thus, there is a growing need for a portable dining facility in the form of a collapsible table and chair assembly.
A similar need has arisen in schools and other public facilities such as conference rooms which use unstructured classroom arrangements. In such arrangements, it is often desirable to clear a room entirely of tables and chairs for certain activities. To remove standard desks and chairs is an impractical solution to that problem and thus a need for a collapsible chair and desk has arisen.
The need for lightweight and durable collapsible tables and chairs has been recognized for a long time. Thus, for example, in Bassford U.S. Pat. No. 1,272,187 granted on July 9, 1918, a collapsible combined table and seat assembly is disclosed. This Bassford assembly was, by virtue of the nature of the collapsing movements of the various components, relatively large in its collapsed condition. Moreover, there are a number of detachable elements which must be disconnected before collapse is effected and must be connected to effect opening. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,514,418 granted to J. N. Battenfield on Nov. 4, 1924, a combined folding table and seat is disclosed which includes a complex collapsible linkage that is necessarily of substantial weight if it is to have adequate rigidity. Moreover, during the assembly and disassembly of the Battenfield structure, a variety of elements must be disconnected from one another. In Peterson's U.S. Pat. No. 1,641,010, a collapsible table and chair or seat arrangement is disclosed. This arrangement, however, has a multiplicity of detached parts which must be joined to effect assembly. This is inconvenient and time consuming. Moreover, because of the number of separate joints in the Peterson device, it is difficult to make such a device rigid without utilizing heavy, costly parts. Similarly, in the patent granted to L. Wing on June 11, 1929, U.S. Pat. No. 1,716,612, a collapsible combined table and seat is disclosed. However, the nature of the support of the table on the seats is such as to render the structure somewhat unstable. In Soltesz U.S. Pat. No. Re. 18,207 granted Sept. 22, 1931, still another collapsible combined table and seat is disclosed. This structure requires complex toggle linkages and numerous separate operations for assemblying and disassemblying the combined assembly. Also, the structure precludes access from the sides of the seat, thereby rendering it inconvenient in use. On Oct. 8, 1940, a patent was granted to F. Weber, U.S. Pat. No. 2,217,576, which patent is directed to a collapsible folding table and seat. This device requires complex sliding linkages which would prove to be heavy and costly. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,558,465 granted to P. M. Seymour on June 26, 1951, a combined table and bench assembly is disclosed. This table and bench assembly relies heavily on chainlike tension members for stiffness which members are heavy. Also, the nature of the assembly is such that the table in the Seymour assembly will not be as stable as is required for normal dining use. Likewise, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,647,562 granted to C. F. Hoffar on Aug. 4, 1953, a combined collapsible table and seat assembly is disclosed. However, the Hoffar structure also includes complex linkages and requires a large number of independent operations for opening and closing the assembly. In addition, the Hoffar assembly includes linkages which preclude access from the sides of the benchlike seats and thereby render the assembly difficult to use. Post U.S. Pat. No. 2,991,829 granted on July 11, 1961 likewise discloses a combined collapsible table and seats. This, again, includes complex toggle linkages and requires a variety of separate and distinct operations for opening and closing the assembly. Similar limitations exist in the structures illustrated and described in French Pat. Nos. 1,054,743 and 1,092,230. French Pat. No. 988,168 relies on a flaccid seat which is not wholly rigid in use and the support for the table top is a parallelogram which is inherently less stable than triangular supports. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,141,424 which was granted to P. M. Seymour on July 21, 1964, yet another combined table and seat assembly is disclosed. This assembly does not collapse compactly and it also includes relatively difficult to make cam tracks in its linkage. Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,256,037 granted to J. Giambaldo on June 14, 1966, yet another form of combined table and seat is disclosed. This structure is inconveniently heavy and the linkage employed therein will not yield as rigid a structure as is required.
On Nov. 30, 1976, U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,527 was granted to Edwin Nikitits et al and assigned to the assignee hereof, and on Oct. 4, 1977, U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,100 was granted to Edwin Nikitits et al, and assigned to the assignee hereof. Both of these patents disclose combined collapsible table and seat assemblies incorporating bench-like structures on both sides of a foldable table top which bench-like structures are themselves collapsible and are connected by mechanical linkages to the table top for movement thereunder to collapse the table. Each of these structures represents advances over the prior art cited therein or previously known by applicant but each structure incorporates a considerable amount of metal or other formed material which tends to increase both price and weight of the structures. This is likewise true of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 638,327 filed by Edwin Nikitits et al on May 5, 1976 and assigned to the assignee hereof.
Recently U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,057 filed by William C. Jones and assigned to the assignee hereof was issued. This patent, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 842,573 filed on Oct. 17, 1977 by William C. Jones, and assigned to the assignee hereof, represent still other approaches to the construction of combined collapsible tables and seats. These two Jones constructions, like the above referred to structures of Nikitits et al, require substantial castings or injection moldings and the inclusion of a number of metal parts all of which contribute either to the cost of the assembly, its weight or both. Thus, while these Jones structures also represent a significant advance over the prior art, they do not completely achieve the ultimate desiderata of a lightweight, unitary and inexpensive structure to define combined collapsible tables and seats. This is likewise true of the prior art cited in said Nikitits et al applications and patents and said Jones application and patent, all of which have been considered and are not believed pertinent to the present invention.
From the review of the prior art above presented, it will be seen that there have been numerous attempts over the years to produce a lightweight, inexpensive, easily folded and unfolded combined collapsible table and seats. However, each prior art proposal has fallen somewhat short of the mark. As a result, there has been to date no significant commerical success for any of the prior art devices known to applicant.